❄️How to *ACTUALLY* Insulate Campervan for WINTER VANLIFE ❄️

Vanlife can really suck during the freezing winter months and the scolding hot summer days, especially if you aren't properly insulated!

Thank you for supporting our channel this year! It hasn't gone how we expected it to, but we couldn't be more excited for the foundation it's laying for us come 2022! HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU AND YOUR FAMILY!

Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
00:50 PART 1: 8 MISTAKES
01:18 1 - Back & Side Doors
02:48 2 - Panel Supports
03:40 3 - Below the Van
04:31 4 - Not completing wiring
05:12 5 - Vapor Barrier?
07:07 6 - Ceiling & Floor
08:10 7 - Window issues
09:18 8 - Timeframe
09:47 Intermission
10:17 PART 2: MATERIALS & R-VALUES
10:53: R-Value
11:22 Spray Foam
12:47 Foam Boards
13:25 Flexible Insulation
13:49 Wool
14:28 Community Resource

When #Vanlife SUCKS 👎 INSULATION MISTAKES THEY KEEP MAKING!!

Music By: Epidemic Sound

[ladiandmargaret]

Happy (almost) 2022! We are so thankful to have you here with us and we're wishing you the best for the coming year! We've JUST finished the insulation today (as I publish this video) and we CANNOT WAIT to share it with you! What do YOU think of today's insulation convo? Would love your feedback :) Let's chat below, and don't forget to sub for more! Snuggles from Millie!! xoxo

[ahagan]

Personally, I like to see the thought process of why you build the way you are. Then to see it come together in a plus. Thanks for sharing!

[mikkepalvanen]

What I feel should've been talked about is the condensation on metal when the temperatures inside and outside are different. For that reason stuff like Armaflex is great.
I personally don't understand why you'd like to put wires under the insulation though. Just more convenient to put them on top where they are more reachable when you want to modify/add/delete parts of the electricals.

[LastNameTom]

in our build, we used Rock Wool and stuffed it everywhere, literally if there was a gap, we put some in there. Not packed it in, just put it in. We took the door panels off stuffed in in there and between the cabin topper and the frame. Then we put a vapor barrier over the walls of reflectix and reflectix tape. then put up the furring strips that gave us a good inch between the reflectix and the wood walls. For the floor and ceiling we used insulated foam boards and reflectix tape. We have spent the night in 18 degree weather by turning the van's heat on for about 10 minutes, and it kept the van warm all night.
And yeah, it took us A LONG time to get all that done too.

[jecoolenichtje]

I love these kinds of videos!! I am doing a vanbuild right now and I have a building science university degree. I want to add onto the vapour barrier debate. First of all, I get why you would want to add a vapour barrier, I know the importance of it in a house. However, there are a few fundamental differences between a house and a van: metal exterior and diy building. For a vapour barrier to work, every puncture of the barrier needs to be sealed again. If done perfectly the vapour barrier adds to the build big time, but if done imperfectly, it has the opposite affect. Where the screws go through (metal and therefore can get quite cold in some situations) condensation can happen, which due to the barrier cant escape. Mold will form around the screws there. Also how sure are you that the outside of the van is air tight (for years and years)? After buying an old van I am not too sure that this is the case for our van (even after doing so much work on it to try). If it is not air/water tight in a tiny spot, condensation will happen that has no way to quickly dry out and therefore mold will form. I know that this is a fairly new discussion for van life, but RVs are around for longer and they are made with vapour barriers. Older Rvs are now full of mold, that is why they always have a very distinctive smell. I decided on getting an water absorbing insulation that is good against mold (sheeps wool) and a construction without vapour barrier that has a lot of breathability (insulation, air gap, cladding which is what they would do in a house). Mold in a small tiny house is very unhealthy and toxic, I would not risk it!!

Also: consider what kind of particles insulation is emitting. Usually, normal house insulation is not fitted for tiny homes because it is harder to create the passive ventilation (in housing MANDATORY, when using non natural insulation and building materials) that keeps the air clean enough to breath safely. Thats why tiny houses are often insulated with wool as well!

[truthlovenow]

I love that you are doing so much research on each component of your van build… then educating us. I appreciate knowing some techy stuff before watching that section of your van build being implemented.

[annielemonius]

I love these pre videos with the theory, I think for anyone genuinely interested in building a van, this is the most helpful type of video!

[reptoJane]

So glad to see you addressing this issue. I'm a high school Physics teacher and the lack of proper insulation and dealing with thermal bridges in van conversions drives me crazy!

[nlnl]

Engineer here with 30 years of experience involved largely in thermal management of various devices and systems. Not included in all the R-values is the incredibly, incredibly powerful thermal resistance of static air layers in your insulation stack up. Like you noted in regard to reflective barriers, it is ALWAYS best to avoid pressing these barriers hard against one another and against the outer skin of your van, camper, RV, whatever. Even leaving the tiniest of air gaps, where intermittent contact of insulation layers naturally occurs, provides the most powerful form of insulation available....plus, air gaps are FREE and weigh virtually NOTHING. For me, 3 thin layers of moderately to even poorly effective R-value materials, where a little space is allowed between layers, is desired over a single layer of the highest available R-value because of the thermal resistance provided by the static air layers. In practice, you can see the thermal resistance of static air layers in double and triple-paned windows.

[BellsofBregenz]

Really enjoyed this format. Its something I really loved about your van design reviews, the intelligent discussion around decisions. As a designer and builder myself I find the information really helpful and interesting. The build is looking so good! Big love to you three and the rest of your community near and far.

[Mnkaduck]

Thank you for making these discussion and theory videos! I'm trying to plan a van build myself and I have a huge collection of van tours that have inspired my layout and features, but everything between the bones and the furniture is a big question mark! I really appreciate all the research you're sharing with us and the space you're offering for different views and experiences.

[billmilligan]

This style of video is similar to your reviews of other van lifer builds. Between your explanations and Ladi's design and build skills, this is bar none the best van build resource out there. It's exactly why I subscribed. More, por favor!

[garethwalker]

Hi Margaret, your comment on security made me remember supplying a used vehicle to someone in a dangerous part of the world. He requested a "kill" switch installed on the vehicle that could be surreptitiously activated if they were held up at gunpoint! It had to have a delay incorporated of I think 30 minutes, long enough for the robbers to get away from them and then be impossible to re-start. They would then be far enough away to keep the owner safe from retribution. I never heard if it was ever activated, but he seemed happy with the installation. Many thanks for another interesting video.

[althecampervanman]

The main thing I'd disagree with in planning insulation is that wiring doesn't have to be buried within / behind insulation. It's perfectly viable to run conduit sections that contain the wiring on the finished surface or within channels of the insurance;ation.

[michaelscarfi]

Your right about the spray foam. It’s the best thing out there I used it. It will also warp your van. I warped mine. That being said if I did it again I would do the roof where insulation is most important and a little warping is no big deal. As far as the sides I feel like if you tape off all your cracks and don’t let the foam between your ribs and the skin of your van you’ll be ok. The one saving grace is you can break it out of the bad spots and the warping goes away. Long story short, one hour to foam the van and 3 days to scrape it from between the ribs to remove MOST of the warping. What the van industry needs is someone to spend a million dollars to test everything there is scientifically and come up with the answer. All anyone can do now is make an educated guess and pray.

[brookedelizia]

Girl, you did a great job explaining everything and you did not rumble. You explained everything thoroughly 😊

[nahoskins]

Thusfar, Ladi has been implimenting all of the ideas I've had in my head for my next van. I REALLY want to know how he plans on designing the convertible shower. Is it a dual shell design, is it using a flexible barrier, does the counter top rise with it, if so, how is he levering it to conform with the van wall, how is the door being designed, is the toilet built in, on a drawer slide, or removable, how is the ducting for the exhaust being routed..

SO many questions.

Can't wait to see an indepth video on that one!

To add, very few youtubers in our community provide the kind of value add that your channel does. I don't follow many but you both provide such good content, with such great editing and showcasing your amazing personalities that I find myself eagerly waiting for the next video to drop.

One area I think your channel could expand to provide more relevant information to the community: Electronics. I dont know how comfortable you both are talking about it, but there are some fantastic resources online that could serve as the basis for an entire series on DIY electrical engineering for the Van community.

I'm thinking synchronous buck converter MPPT designs, arduino (WeMos boards for automating via Blynk apps), how to program a rasberry pi to control solenoid valves (I see Ladi is likewise looking to impliment a grey water dump cam, great minds!).

An example could be adding auto leveling to your beds actuator system, assuming they're rated for the weight, something I've got on my wish list for my next build.

Just an idea, there are so many ways that building a van can serve as a platform for educating people to be more self suficient. Your channel is and will continue to help push the community towards ever greater feats. Thank you.

[forestyforest]

I feel like if you're steadily doing van life below freezing... that an absolutely perfectly sealed vapor barrier is so important. If frost manages to form on sheet metal behind your walls, you're in for bad times. Literally had my rear doors freeze shut because melting frost formed a barrier 😅 good video 👍

[KBVee]

I thoroughly enjoy the theory, breakdown videos. This allows me to be practical and critically thing through every aspect of the build. Especially for someone with no building experience.

[H--B]

Amazing build, attention to detail and functionality. I thought I was the only one who did this when building something. It’s the little things that make the difference. It can get frustrating at times. But we love the struggle. Keep it up!!!